Alcohol action plan fails to satisfy
THE health minister’s car analogy seemed to register with many of those attending yesterday’s launch of the long-awaited, and much-troubled, Government alcohol action plan.
What was better, Dr James Reilly asked: To have a Rolls Royce of a plan that would sit pretty in the showroom, or a Ford that would get you on the road?
Given Leinster House could be insulated with all the reports into alcohol over the last 20 years — reports with many of the same recommendations as yesterday’s plan — maybe getting on the road is enough.
This could be interpreted as saying that what was published yesterday is a far cry from what was the ideal — the ideal being the report of the Government’s expert group.
The National Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group published its report in Feb 2012, after three years of delays, tortured discussions, and bitter disputes.
The group spelled out the toll alcohol was having on society and set out 45 recommendations covering different areas. Its key recommendations were:
- Minimum pricing for alcohol — to combat the sale of cheap and below-cost alcohol, particularly to young people and problem drinkers.
- A ‘social responsibility’ levy on the drinks’ industry, to fund awareness campaigns and the cost of dealing with alcohol abuse and provide alternative funding for sports bodies.
- Legislate for the separation of alcohol from other products in shops by commencing Section 9 on the Intoxicating Liquor Act.
- As a minimum, ban alcohol advertising on television and radio before 9pm and ban all outdoor advertising.
- Ban drinks sponsorship of sports and other public events by 2016, on a phased basis.
The proposals were welcomed by the health and medical sectors and community groups, but, in significant parts, opposed by the drinks industry, representatives of which published their own minority report.
Within a short period, four government ministers raised, to differing degrees, concerns with some of the key recommendations, despite the fact that no less than seven departments sat on the steering group.
Then drugs strategy minister Róisín Shortall entered discussions with the departments and agreed to push the sponsorship ban out to 2020. She brought her action plan to Cabinet in June, but it was kicked to touch. She resigned in September and was replaced by Alex White.
It signalled an uncertain future for the action plan, with Government sources telling the Irish Examiner there had been a “big push back” within the Cabinet.
On the above key recommendations, the action plan published yesterday, named Measures to Deal with Alcohol Misuse, read:
- Minimum pricing was agreed by the Government and the drafting of legislation would commence, subject to a European ruling on whether minimum pricing breach EU law.
- There was no mention of the levy, but when asked by the Irish Examiner about its absence, Mr White said the Government had not agreed on it but that Finance Minister Michael Noonan was exploring ways of tapping into any windfall profits the industry might gain from minimum pricing.
- Separation of alcohol has been agreed, but not using the tough Section 9 legislation, but through a statutory code of conduct.
- Alcohol advertising on television and radio will be banned from 2016, but the watershed will be the “evening” — the time to be determined by further inter-departmental talks.
- A working group will examine the financial and public health implications of a ban on sports sponsorship, to report in 12 months.
Mr Reilly and Mr White, accompanied by Children’s Minister Francis Fitzgerald, did not pretend yesterday the plan was everything they wanted. Dr Reilly brought in his analogy of the Rolls Royce and the Ford.
Bearing in mind other ministers in the Cabinet had the keys to the car and held the door, it is perhaps no small achievement that Dr Reilly and Ms Fitzgerald (both in Cabinet) and Mr White (not in Cabinet) have got the Ford on the road at all.
Government decides to include alcohol in a combined substance abuse strategy.
- The National Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group set up, comprising government departments, medical sector, community and voluntary groups, and alcohol industry.
- After more than three years, the group’s report is published. Alcohol representatives publish a minority report.
- Drugs strategy minister Róisín Shortall says her action plan going to the Cabinet, but kicked to touch to September.
- Following Ms Shortall’s resignation, new minister of state Alex White says action plan ready “within weeks”.
- Oireachtas Transport Committee comes out against ban on alcohol sponsorship of sport.
- Government alcohol action plan published.
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